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“Our negotiations and conversations are being treated confidentially on our end, because that is what we have committed to,” White House spokeswoman Amy Brundage said.

Some Senate Democrats who face reelection in 2012 want the chance to burnish the buckles of tightened belts by voting for more dramatic spending cuts than they have been offered by Senate Democratic leaders.

But their leaders are holding fast to the position it is time for House Republicans to make a counteroffer.

“Last week, the Senate held two test votes — one on H.R. 1 and one on a Democratic alternative. We knew that neither one would have the votes to pass, but we held the votes anyway; and sure enough, they both went down. The purpose of those votes was to make it clear that both sides’ opening bids in this debate were nonstarters and thus pave the way for a serious, good-faith compromise,” New York Sen. Chuck Schumer, the third-ranking Democrat in the Senate, said on the floor Wednesday. “But unfortunately, an intense, ideological tail continues to wag the dog over in the House of Representatives.”

Citing a failed Democratic measure that would have funded the government at $10 billion less than current levels, rather than the $61 billion mark House Republicans approved, Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin of Illinois told POLITICO in a brief interview that “we know we have to come off that number.” But he quickly added “to some extent.”

But what will please a diffuse Senate Democratic Caucus and appease House Republicans? That remains anyone’s guess. Democratic and Republican aides acknowledge a final bill would likely amount to less than the $61 billion House Republicans seek and exclude some of the more controversial policy preferences of that chamber’s conservatives. For example, a rider eliminating funding for Planned Parenthood is a nonstarter in the Senate — even with some moderate Republicans.

But real questions remain: Would politically vulnerable Senate Democrats vote for smaller or larger spending cuts if given the chance? How much are House Democrats willing to sacrifice from federal accounts in order to keep a long-term bill free of controversial social policy riders?

The real negotiations are going on between the staffs of Boehner and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.).

Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) said there’s “universal frustration” with the process but he’s confident “we’ll get an agreement” on the 2011 spending. “I think a deadline is probably the best driver.”

No one wants to deal with our massive deficit where everyday for every $1dollar we spend we have to borrow . 40 cents worth..........that's simply unsustainable yet the Democats mostly aren't interested.

Ezra Klein at the Washington POST, yeah the POST theat lifts stories out of AZ, wrote a story yesterday saying we don't have a debt crisis..........

We have to hire a "turn-around-specialist" to fix Washington DC.........

Somone to come in and take Washington DC completely apart and put it back together again much smaller and more efficient..........

We need to hire Mitt Romney and make him................President Romney.............. America can not stay the course much longer.............make your vote count in 2012.....and pleased don't vote for more of the same.....

America needs a leader that can bring the two political parties together to get important issues addressed......

I already mention the candidate that has done this in the past in Massachusetts.............

No "ideologues" in 2012.............we will fire the current one and we won't be hiring another from the Right.............we have serious business to attend to in 2012. America needs a leader.............

Democrats are asking, "What are we for?" What are you doing running for high offices if you don't know the answer to that question? Quit worrying so much about "being on the same page" and faithfully "reciting the party line" and search your hearts and consciences. I think you should be seeking to raise new revenues, for everyone knows that cutting alone will not get us out of debt or create new jobs. A large majority of Americans polled (64% in one poll) want new revenues raised and are particularly warm to the idea of taxing the wealthiest Americans or rescinding the tax cut given them before Christmas. The majority of Americans want corporation loopholes closed and corporate taxes collected; poll after poll shows Americans do not want our government to reward corporations sending jobs overseas with federal subsidies or tax exemptions. Democrats should stand for a balanced view that cuts across the board judiciously (including our bloated defense budget) and closing the gulf between the wealthiest and the rest of US through taxation of the richest (those who would be hurt least, if at all, by tax increases). Republicans are on the losing side of the arguments. Now all we need are Democrats to make their case. (In most cases, I believe their arguments are heartfelt; Democrats lack only the confidence and political courage to make them.)

Mitt Romney is an idiot who panders to the mushroom tea drinkers and he has a real problem telling the truth. When he stands up and says I support Obama's health reform it is exactly like mine. I am proud that Obama took my plan and offered it to everyone in american. THAT WILL BE THE DAY THAT I will consider Mitt Romney, but until then he is just another lying repubilcan who has no interest in 95% of the country. He will only support the rich and he will do exactly what corporations tell him to do no matter who it hurts. The republican party has nothing better to offer than Obama so I guess we will have to just keep him and vote out the repubilcans that are obstructing instead of taking on the hard issues.

Obama is the best president this country has had in over 10 years. He is the only adult in the house. I think it is brilliant that he leaves the house and the senate to do their job and doesn't insert himself into their petty fights. The republicans want him to get invovled so that they can complain about every idea he offers. The democrats want him invovle so that they can ride on his popularity. I think the senate and the congress in both parties are going to have to find solutions for this country and stop worring about campaigning and finding someone else to blame their nonsense on. Neither party has done anything for this country this year it has been all about how much money we can take from the middle class and the poor to give to the wealthy.

None of this would be necessary if the Congress had actually done their job and produced a budget last year. They had large majorities in both houses as well as a democrat in the White House. They have to look no further that the end of their noses to find those guilty of shirking their duty.

They own the entire Democratic Party - they have bought and paid for them out of their taxpayer-funded union dues.

How could anyone who's watched the unruly union mobs waving tgheir Nazi swastikas up in Wisconsin even ask a question like this? The most frequent visitor to the White House is the union head of the SEIU = how obvious does it have to be before you people get a clue?

This is an excellent example of just why this country is in the mess that it's in, both economically and culturally.

* The inner-city layabouts vote for Democrats and get generous welfare benefits in return - paid for by the taxpayer.

* The unions vote for Democrats and get generous salary and benefit packages in return - paid for by the taxpayer.

* Illegal immigrants vote for Democrats and get the border enforcement reduced and a free medical "reform" package - paid for by the taxpayers.

* Wall Street fatcats vote for Democrats and get bailouts in return - paid for by the taxpayer. Now they can once again enjoy their $100,000+ bonuses every year.

The Democratic party has become nothing but a party of whores who will sell legislation to any group willing to pay for it. And all this time the taxpayers have seen their jobs disappear, their income reduced, their retirements disappear.

Obama is the best president this country has had in over 10 years. He is the only adult in the house. I think it is brilliant that he leaves the house and the senate to do their job and doesn't insert himself into their petty fights. The republicans want him to get invovled so that they can complain about every idea he offers. The democrats want him invovle so that they can ride on his popularity. I think the senate and the congress in both parties are going to have to find solutions for this country and stop worring about campaigning and finding someone else to blame their nonsense on. Neither party has done anything for this country this year it has been all about how much money we can take from the middle class and the poor to give to the wealthy.

I'll tell you who's NOT in charge of the Democratic Party. Obama is definitely NOT.

He's incompetent, he has no idea what the position is all about, he has no experience - he has no qualifications or ability for hte post he is occupying.

Even if he wanted to take charge he wouldn't know how. Besides, he's too busy with his vacations, his golf game and his NCAA picks to be bothered with worldly events.

The plain truth is that Obama is nothing but an empty suit. He was annointed by the press to be president. They tore down his opponent and refused even to look at his associations with known terrorists, his marxist background, his anti-American, racist black liberation church, his lack of experience, and the total fraud that his campaign was.

This was supposed to be when the sea levels stropped falling, when all the nations of the world would love us, when peace and understanding would reign throughout the world as the first post-partisan, post-racial president was annointed. His cool, calm demeanor showed how he was above worldly events. He was even handed a Nobel Peace Prize for all the wonderful things that all the leftists just KNEW he was going to do.

The Democrats' plan? To bankrupt America and give it away to Islamic extremists hellbent on shoving Sharia Law down our throats. Oh,a nd Dems want every man and woman immasculated and forced to bow down to their government. It's disgusting and disheartening. I thought we fixed this issue when we voted Carter v1.0 out of office and then what happens not even 30 years later? Carter v2.0 with the help of the lamestream media seizes the White House and forces failure down the throats of Americans again.

Democratic legacy? Record unemployment, record poverty, record deficits, and record poor standing in the world. In a day and time when we should be providing hope to Japan, shining a beacon of hope on the the Middle East, and showing the bankrupt countries of Europe a better way to fiscal responsibility, we are falling to pieces because we have a spineless leader.

Everybody who knows me knows I have the utmost respect for the Obama, but he is not what we need right now. He's not even a good president in good times, but right now we are facing unprecendented problems that literally threaten our national security and sovereignty. We don't need some immature kid playing president in the White House, we need serious experienced mature leadership that the Obama and his kindergarten Dem Congress are incapable of providing.

Libs are enormous failures but MILLIONS of Americans take great comfort in the fact that in 2012 we will THROW ALL OF THESE DEM BUMS TO THE CURBS. Libs are useless, every last one of them and we must scrub the Congress and White House of every last Dem, RINO, and liberal.

The plan of tax and spend, support illegal immigration, trash business and industry, be hawks or patriots dependent on who appears to be winning and which political party is in power. Restrict energy and make it as expensive as possible to promote self-enriching pork projects that are useless to supply power. Look at growing government as the objective instead of realizing that government is supported by a thriving and growing private sector rather than the topsy turvey world of Democrats where growing government is seen to be capable of growing the economy. The plan is perennial.

The change is, these policies have brought about a calamity and nobody is buying into this philosophy anymore. This somehow has Democrats bewildered.